WHO reports significant decrease in measles deaths over past decade but warns large outbreaks in certain regions jeopardize progress

"While the number of measles deaths around the world has significantly decreased over the past decade, large outbreaks in certain regions are jeopardizing progress, the United Nations health agency said [Thursday], adding that improved vaccination rates are critical to eliminate the disease," the U.N. News Centre reports. "Between 2000 and 2011, measles deaths dropped from 542,000 to 158,000 globally, representing a 71 percent decrease," the news service writes, adding, "New cases also dropped during the same period by 58 percent, according to new data" from the WHO (1/17).

"The highly contagious disease is a leading cause of death among young children around the world, especially the poor, malnourished and unvaccinated, it said," Reuters notes (Nebehay, 1/17). "Despite this global progress, some populations remain unprotected," according to a WHO press release, which adds, "An estimated 20 million children worldwide did not receive the first dose of vaccine in 2011" (1/17). "More than half live in five countries: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, India, Nigeria and Pakistan," Reuters notes (1/17).

This article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

It is important to keep in mind that nontuberculous mycobacteria are environmental, and so unlike mycobacterial tuberculosis, generally this is not a person to person transmitted disease. The organisms are found universally in water and soil and so most people are exposed on a daily basis.

Aging is the continuing process of such stress exposures, and with advancing age (normal aging), we must carry lots of senescent cells within our bodies. Senescent cells also often provide some ‘bad influences’ to surrounding healthy cells; such as chronic inflammation and tumorigenesis

Other Useful Links

News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance
with these terms and conditions.
Please note that medical information found
on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship
between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide.